The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have received numerous inquiries related to Alaska Native marine mammal harvest eligibility and policy under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Eligibility is governed by section 101(b) of the MMPA and regulations developed by both FWS (at 50 C.F.R. § 18.3) and […]
Discover the versatility of seaweed and the contributions of seaweed farming—or seaweed aquaculture—to working waterfronts and environmental sustainability. Seaweed is a nutritious, versatile, and pervasive organism. It is a type of macroalgae that can be used to make products we use every day—including fertilizers, animal feed, and cosmetics. It has even been described as a “superfood.” In […]
In celebration of the Endangered Species Act’s 50th Anniversary, NOAA is featuring the marine mammal and sea turtle species found in Alaska that are protected under the ESA. The Endangered Species Act provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species, habitats, and the ecosystems upon which they depend across Alaska and the country. […]
Recent updates to the Distribution Mapping and Analysis Portal (DisMAP) include additional years of data, new filtering features, and data from a new region—the Northern Bering Sea. NOAA Fisheries’ data visualization tool DisMAP displays changes in distribution over time for hundreds of marine species. It uses data from surveys such as NOAA Fisheries bottom trawls. This week, […]